Baggage fees are rediculous

By | Published: October 26, 2010

It’s been a while since I traveled other airlines besides Continental.  I was silver elite and recently lost my status because my travel schedule diminished.  With that loss I now have to pay for checked baggage.  My father was recently diagnosed with cancer, and I went to visit him.  The airline I chose was American Airlines.  I checked two bags.  Sixty dollars later I’m fuming.  I thought it was $15 a bag.  It makes me want to fly Southwest from now on because they don’t charge fees.  It’s worth one layover.  Perhaps the other airlines can learn from them.

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Packing Tips Plug

By | Published: September 15, 2010

I came across an interesting website called The Travelite FAQ.  Being an efficient packer, I immediately liked the information on the site.  Since it is related to travel and packing tips (with reviews), I thought why not reach out to the author and see if they would be interested in reviewing shoe socks.  She kindly obliged and left a great review.  This was my favorite part and really hits home on what shoe socks are designed for.

“Once your shoes are fitted into your shoe socks, though, they are ready to be packed. And here is where you really see why this might actually be a handy item. Unlike most shoecovers, your shoes are nested firmly inside the shoe sock, and there is nothing loose. The Neoprene creates a very safe padded blanket around your shoe, and you can easily make some room in your carry-on to sneak your shoes into. Plus since each shoe gets its own shoe sock, you will find an easier time packing, since you don’t have to find room in your bag for two shoes stuck together in a bag.

Besides keeping your shoes safe, shoe socks also keep your bag from getting dirty. No more scuff marks on your clothes, dirt clods stuck in the seams of your carry-ons.

If you take a close look at these, you will see that all the seams are double-stitched, and the opening is nicely hemmed. There are no zippers, buttons, snaps, or laces to complicate this product. The manufacturer calls these “a wetsuit for your shoes” and they definitely deliver there. There is nothing unnecessarily here, either. These could have easily gotten overcomplicated, with a zippered top that you can close up… but why mess up a good, simple idea?”

I couldn’t agree more.  Thanks Travelite!

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Who cares about shoe grime?

By | Published: September 10, 2010

A website in the UK reviewed shoe socks.  The reviews were not so favorable, and it got me thinking do people in different countries not care so much about shit (sometimes literally) on their shoes?  The site was the Travel Editor.  The author says “What sad travelers worry about how to put their shoes in their suitcase?”  And to that I answer lots of people otherwise their wouldn’t be a market for them.  Besides not wanting to get shit into your suitcase, it’s frustrating to see a brand new pair of $100+ shoes with scuff marks.  Obviously this person didn’t get the big picture.  They then go on to say “If they’re muddy they go in an old carrier bag, if not I can’t be bothered.”  Like everyone travels with an old carrier bag to use for dirty shoes.  This isn’t the brightest bloke on the block.

That’s the beauty of reviews.  You have to take some good with the bad.  My customers and I care about shoe grime and protecting our shoes, the point that was missed.

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Calling All Golfers

By | Published: July 7, 2010

If you need to find all sorts of information about golf including product reviews, check out the Hooked on Golf blog.  They recently reviewed shoe socks™, and I’m excited about what they had to say.

The socks are in the shoes and the shoes are in the socks…  I just had to say that.

What the heck are Shoe Socks?

When I got the Shoe Socks from ShoeSocks.com, I couldn’t help but laugh.  I was thinking, “here’s another one of a billion useless golf accessories.”  I finally got around to using them and I’m still laughing, at myself for not using them sooner.

Shoe Socks are made from a stretchy and durable Neoprene material which easily fits over individual shoes and looks sharp.  Shoe Socks protect shoes during storage and transport.  Even while in a shoe bag, shoes can rub against each other and cause scuffs and these puppies prevent that.

Conclusion: Worth every penny of the $11.99 to protect shoes worth upwards of $300

It is hot now.  My feet and socks can get very damp and sweaty after a day on the course in these conditions.  I’ll often not put my shoes in a shoe bag after a round like this because I want them to air out and dry.  So my naked, $300 golf shoes are getting banged up in the trunk of the car because I had to air them out.

Now with my Shoe Socks I can protect my shoes, yet let them air out since the opening of the shoe is uncovered and the Neoprene breathes well.  Net result: dry shoes which aren’t scuffed up or damaged.  Winner.

Thanks for the kind words Tony!

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Traveling Resource

By | Published: June 23, 2010

I wanted to plug One Bag as a great resource for traveling light.  I found the bundle wrapping technique to be space saving and very useful.  For full disclosure, I was initially attracted to this site for its packing tips.  I sent the editor a pair of shoe socks™ and asked if he could write about them if he found them useful.  You can find the review located here.

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Emergency Kit

By | Published: March 31, 2010

I’m in the process of preparing for a trade show, and we are putting together an emergency kit that will include scissors, tape, power strips, etc.  So it got me thinking about the emergency kit I prepare when I travel.  It’s a good idea to pack items that you would potentially need while traveling but may not have a store near you or a rental car.  Here is what I include, and you may have items more specific to your needs.

  • Advil
  • Tylenol PM
  • Ear plugs
  • Travel shoe horn
  • Collar stays
  • Adhesive bandages (Band-Aid)
  • Nail clipper
  • Medicated ointment
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Powdered Supplements to Go

By | Published: January 19, 2010

If your health conscious and into fitness like I am, you probably pack supplements when you travel.  I wanted to share a couple of ways that I have been doing it over the years.  Protein powder is a staple in my travel kit along with protein bars.  Bars are easy to pack.  There are two ways that I have packed protein.  One way is to put the powder in plastic wrap.  Take a sheet of plastic wrap big enough to roll around twice for a serving size of powder.  Usually powders come with scoops.  Fill the scoops as many times as it takes to get your serving size.  With each full scoop, turn it upside down on the plastic wrap as if you were making a sand castle.  Lay the serving sizes next to each other.  Not all powders stay in a tube shape and collapse, which is not big deal.  When you’re done, grab the edge of the plastic wrap closest to you and fold it over the mound just enough to keep it in place.  Then continue rolling until you run out of wrap.  You’ll fold each side in.  The beauty of this method is that it pours nicely into a plastic mixer bottler, which I also pack with me.  Unfold both sides, loosen up the plastic wrap on one side, insert that side into the bottle, and shake the other side to get the contents into your container.  There is nothing to bring back home, and you can take a single serving on the go.

The other way to pack powdered supplements is into a zip lock bag.  You’ll need to bring the scoop with you.  Place as many servings into a bag as you’ll need and put the scoop right in the middle of the powder.  It’s much easier doing it this way but you’ll have to return home with the scoop, and you can’t take a single serving with you while you’re traveling.  The whole bag has to come along.

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Packing List

By | Published: December 24, 2009

It’s time for holiday travel again.  I don’t know where I would be without my packing list.  I used to think that they were a waste of time.  That was until I forgot too many important things and had to buy them while away.  Now I always rely on a packing list.  Let me share what I do.  Using a n 8.5″x11″ sheet of paper, it is broken down into two sections.  On the top 2/3, I list out the days that I am going to be traveling.  Under each day, I put outfits together by listing the type of clothing.  For example, let’s say the travel days are Monday and Tuesday.  Under Monday, I’ll list jeans and a t-shirt.  Then under Tuesday, I’ll list dress pants and a dress shirt.  If there were more days, this would go on until all were covered.  Then on the bottom 1/3 I list other items such as additional clothes (like a shirt I might want to wear or workout gear), books, electronics, etc.  As I pack each item, it gets crossed off the list.  It’s minimal effort to compose a packing strategy, and the payoff is that you leave nothing behind and don’t spend extra money while traveling.

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Baggage Weight

By | Published: December 4, 2009

You might already know of this technique.  You’ve probably seen those folks at the airport that have overweight suitcases taking items out in front of you to lessen the weight and fees.  Hopefully, they didn’t have anything embarrassing to show.  If you want to find out the weight of your bag, use a human scale.  Weigh yourself first, and then weigh yourself while holding the bag.  To get the most accurate weight, hold the bag in front of your legs so that the weight mass is as close to the center of the scale.

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Passenger Pickup

By | Published: November 19, 2009

With the big holidays coming upon us, airports are going to be extremely busy.  I have my family or friends pick me up at departures instead of arrivals during busy airport days.  There is usually much less traffic and much less annoying police blowing their whistles at you to move on.

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